How you ever gonna know?

How do you know that you've become who you're supposed to be? How do you know if you're living the life you're supposed to live?

These are questions I have been battling for awhile now. For most of my life I felt some sort of inner-drive or inner-call. I didn't always know exactly where I was going or what I was doing, but I always felt led, always felt I was doing what I was supposed to do. I was never afraid to stand up for what I believed in, to speak out against social norms, and to truly live the life I felt I was called to live.

Several years and two college degrees later, I'm no longer as sure that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. I still stand up for what I believe in, even when that means going against the grain. In the simplest of forms, I value the same things now that I always have: God, family, and friends, although how I value these things has changed over the years.
I now value God for my relationship with Him, for His companionship, for His mercy and grace, for His unending love, and for His Son, my Savior, who somehow managed to live a perfect life in this sin-filled world of judgment and hate.
I then valued God for His presence in my life and for giving me a religion on which to base my values.
I now value my family for friendship and love, for a husband who was not even a thought back then, for parents who have truly become friends, for a brother who has grown into a great American hero, and for a sister-in-law I never knew if I would meet.
I then valued family for unconditional love and acceptance and for providing support and guidance throughout my life.
I now value friends for their strength when I am weak, for knowing the song to my soul, for advice, for comfort, and for laughter.
I then valued friends for their fun and the memories we made.
And, although I have these same values as so many years ago, I somehow have misplaced my internal-compass. I no longer feel like I know where I'm going. I feel like I'm at a crossroad, and yet each direction leads to further crossroads, like no path is certain. I stand here, hoping that internal-compass will flick back on and lead me down the path where I belong. I pray that God leads me where I am supposed to go and blesses me as I grow into the person who I am supposed to be. Until the day comes that I once again feel complete calmness in my soul about the direction I'm going, I will pray in wonder over every decision I make.

Below are lyrics to a Garth Brooks song that always pull at my heart every time I hear them. It speaks to the spiritual, Truth-seeking side of me, in addition to the soul-searching side of me.

How you ever gonna know
by Garth Brooks:

You know failure isn't failure
If a lesson from it's learned
I guess love would not be love
Without a risk of being burned

Anything in life worth havin'
Lord, it has its sacrifice
But the gift that you're receiving
Is worth more than a price

Listen not to the critics
Who put their own dreams on the shelf
If you want to get the truth to admit it
You gotta find out for yourself

How you ever gonna know
What it's like to be there
How you ever gonna know
If you're the best
How you ever gonna know
What you believe in
If you don't put it to the test
How you ever gonna know
What livin' means
How you ever gonna know
If you never chase the dreams

How you ever gonna know
Your potential
How you ever gonna know victory
How you ever gonna know
What it's like when dreams become reality
How you ever gonna know
What it's like to dance
How you ever gonna know
If you never take a chance